The Times That Count
by redbanker
Summary: Sequel to Moments this deals with the brother's vacation and the revelations that occur.
1. Chapter 1

The Times that Count

Hey all. I want to thank everyone who reviewed my first story "Moments". I really appreciate all the kind and encouraging reviews. You've made a scary process fun and rewarding. So here we go by popular demand here is the sequel to "Moments". It starts out 2 days after 'Moments" ends. I am warning you know this piece is going to be more relationship centered and less about work. The boys are on vacation after all. Time to relax and redefine those sibling bonds that matter so much.

Chapter 1

"_This is the life." _Dean thought as he let out a moan of satisfaction as he stretched in the warming sun. Lying on a towel on the beach in the early morning before a lot of people got there with only his baby bro for company was pure heaven. The beautiful beaches of North Carolina were as picturesque as every ad the two brothers had seen on the drive down. The weather had cooperated nicely with the boys vacation, sitting pretty at 80 –85 degrees neither man wanted to move from their spot on the beach for the rest of their lives. "You know Sammy when I told you I never wanted to stop hunting? Well that depends on whether or not I can stay right here in this spot frozen in time. Cause if I can I might have to rethink that whole "normal" thing your so into." Dean said to Sammy as he buried his head further into his arms as the bright sun beat into his back. Relaxing muscles that had been tense for entirely to long.

"Dude why do you think I picked Stanford as my college of choice? 25 minutes from the beach and mild weather all winter long. I'll never forget one Thanksgiving that Jess and I spent on the beach. We lit a fire to ward off some of the cold, but it was still 60 degrees. We had the best time, just watching the ocean, fishing, it was a great day." Sam mumbled back his voice laced with a wistful, sad quality that it always did when he spoke of his dead girlfriend.

"Sounds nice, man." Said Dean refraining from his usual sarcastic reply in the face of his brother's obvious pain. Of course that didn't last for long, as soon as Sam's face cleared of the memory Dean couldn't resist teasing his brother a little, after all what are big brothers for? "So that's the real reason you ditched me and dad." He obviously joked "So you could lay on the beach with a hot chick. Now see Sammy if you'd told me that in the first place I might've come with you rather then give you such a hard time for leaving."

"Yeah well, sorry I didn't want any competition for Jess's affection." Sam teased right back. "I mean the self proclaimed sex god that you are would have stole the limelight away from me, and then I would have had to kill you. So you see I was actually doing you a favor so I wouldn't have to commit fratricide. And it's Sam by the way jackass."

"Now Sammy," Dean said not in the least concerned with the fact that his brother hated that nickname. "Don't sell yourself so short I'm sure there would have been some girl left for you. I mean obviously Jess liked goofy looking guys, so I'm sure she would have loved you anyway. Not to mention the fact that you would have failed miserably at trying to kill me, because I taught you everything you know, bitch." Dean snarked right back.

Dean probably could have dodged the handful of sand that came flying in his direction after he finished speaking, but his guard was down and so was his head. It probably wouldn't have been to bad if it had been dry sand, but Sam had grabbed a handful that was next to the cooler and had dropped a couple of pieces of ice in for good measure. So when the mixture hit Dean's back he was unprepared for the sudden onset of not only wet sand, but very cold sand as well.

"What the Fuck!" Dean hollered as he jumped up quickly only to turn and see his, about to be dead, baby brother rolling on the ground laughing.

Pointing at Dean with one hand while the other was wrapped around his ribs to cradle them from laughing so hard Sam could barley gasp out. "Dude…. The..look…on… your…face. Completely priceless."

Glaring at his brother Dean replied, "Well I hope it was worth it, cause dude you're about to receive a beat down like the one in "99."

Sam finally realizing the, clear and present danger that he was actually in, apparently was suffering from some sort of heat stroke since he smiled unrepentantly up at his brother and said. "Only if you can catch me first Papa Smurf" and jumped up and starting running down the beach as fast as he could go.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean exclaimed as he took off after his freakishly tall brother. Knowing that if he didn't catch up with him soon Sammy could easily out distance Dean enough to keep Dean from ever catching up. And while Dean was stronger and had better endurance, Sammy was one fast Jolly Green Giant when he wanted to be. Sammy however appeared to be still suffering from heat stroke as he allowed Dean to stay within distance. Speeding up and slowing down intemittedly, dodging other tourists, and running through the trees surrounding the beach in what appeared to be an ongoing game of tag.

His brother's laugh echoing back to him couldn't let Dean stay mad for long and after 5 minutes joined in the impromptu game with gusto. It resembled more of a military maneuver after that as the boys snuck through trees, under stars and dangled off balconies and an attempt to tag the other brother. The game went on for a good 2 hours only ending when Sammy barreling down the beach had to leap over a 6 year old kid who had ran in front of him anxious to get into the water as fast as he could. Sammy's leap was quit spectacular clearing the kid's head by a good 3 inches, but the resulting land and roll had him rolling right into a couple sunbathing and enjoying lunch. Well they had been till the picnic got covered in sand and 6'2 of rambunchous guy. Apologizing profusely as Dean smirked from the sidelines the couple was very understanding and as the beach was only getting more crowded the boys quickly headed back to their spot before it got snaked by someone else.

After lying silently for a few minutes to get their breath back and their heart rates down Sam rolled on his side and looked at Dean and said. "Thanks man."

Dean's quizzical look at his baby brother as he replied back. "What are you talking about now dude? Seriously drink some water, cause you're not making any sense."

"Whatever" Sammy said laughing at his brother and rolling onto his back and closing his eyes. "Just thanks okay. Thanks." And with that promptly went to sleep on the beach.

Dean couldn't help but roll his eyes at his confusing baby brother even as the words of thanks filled him with warmth that had nothing to do with the sun. "You're welcome, bitch" he whispered softly to his sleeping brother and then laid back himself enjoying the view of a multitude of bikini clad women. _"This is defiantly the life." _

Chapter One over, I know it's still kind of short, but I'm working on that. It's harder then I thought to write a lot at one given time. I figured at least getting a little something new every day makes up for it not being very long. Please please please please review. I'm a review ho. I will hold future chapter's hostage if I don't get reviews. Please I'm just starting out, and I need positive feedback to keep me going.

_B_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

As Sam drifted into consciousness all he could think was _"This is the Life."_ The sun was beating down on his broad shoulders, and he'd had the most peaceful sleep Sam could remember in months. Rolling over and checking his watch he saw that he'd been out for about an hour. _"Boy did I need that. It feels like I got a 8 hour R.E.M cycle rather then just an hour."_ Peering to his right he saw that Dean's towel was empty. Sitting up and scanning the horizon he quickly found his brother down by the water chatting up two very attractive ladies in indecent bikinis. Smirking at the fact that for all of the changes he'd finally accepted about his big brother at least some things stayed the same. Dean Winchester was an unstoppable flirt. _"Looks like we have dinner company anyway." _Thought Sam as he watched Dean charm the girls into simpering piles of goo. Thinking of going out with his brother brought a smile to his face, but Sam couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt at the thought of going out with another girl.

Flopping back on the towel Sam stared up at the sky and tried to get control over the sudden onslaught of emotions. _"God Jess, I miss you. Everything would be so much easier if you were here with me and Dean." _Not for the first time did Sam think about what his life be like if he'd just told Jess the truth. Knowing her as well as he did Sam couldn't help but believe that Jess would have been supportive of Sam and his family's vendetta. Ironically Jess had also known Sam better then anyone else, with the exception of Dean. She may not have known the truth about Sam's past, but she knew Sam. She knew what made him, happy, mad, sad, hyper, and irritated. Jess might not have known the circumstances, but she knew the outcome they had on Sam. He missed that about her with a painful intensity that often left him breathless. Sam was the type of person who needed to talk things out, in order to make sense of them in his head. Otherwise Sam was likely to over think the situation, and come to the wrong conclusion anyway. Jess would always allow Sam this luxury; she would sit on the couch and allow Sam to pace around the apartment voicing all the thoughts running through his head. Occasionally she would voice and opinion or idea to help Sam out, but generally she would just let Sam vent and be there for him when he was done.

As much as Sam loved his brother, Dean was not the type to talk about things. Repress and move on, was more Dean's style, and whether he knew it or not it was slowly driving Sam crazy. Sam didn't have an outlet anymore and the pressure was building. It had already exploded twice now with disastrous results, between the Asylum and the Vanir. Sam knew that he and Dean needed to find a compromise to their conflicting ways of dealing with emotional stress before things got as bad between them as they had been between Sam and John. That thought alone caused Sam to shiver and goose bumps to form on his arms. After finally realizing the years of emotional abuse he'd heaped on his brother, Sam certainly didn't want to make the situation worse. The problem was how to mend not only the past, but fix the way they dealt with things in the future. _"That idea of handcuffing him to the bed, might just have to become a reality."_ Sam mused as he tried to think of how to get Dean to listen to him with out Dean telling Sam that he didn't want to talk about the subject.

Watching Dean head back towards him waving goodbye to the two ladies Sam was once again hit with a painful epiphany. Dean loved him and would do anything for him; all Sam had to do was ask. _"Well, here goes."_ Sam thought preparing himself the painful subjects that he knew he needed to discuss with Dean before he burnt out.

"Yo, dude bout time you woke up. This place is utter paradise, man. Did you see those girls? Ohhh man they were so hot. Whoever invented the bikini should be given a noble prize, no question. You have a good nap Sammy boy, cause it seemed like you were out like a light?" Dean rattled off as he plopped next to his brother. Looking completely relaxed and hyper from all the thoughts of how much fun this vacation was going to be. "Becky and Kim gave me the name of a great local seafood joint we have to check out for dinner. I haven't had fried fish if forever, and this place is a local hotspot not one of those over priced tourist traps. So watta ya say ready for a night on the town with your big brother? I promise to leave a few of the gorgeous girls for you since I'm a great big brother." Dean smirked.

Grinning at Dean's excitement Sam decided the heavy stuff could wait a little while. "Whatever you say jerk. I can get my own women thank you very much so please don't bother with trying to pass on your sloppy seconds." Sam joked as he threw an easy punch at Dean's head. "Hey when we checked into the motel I saw some pamphlets for deep sea fishing charters. Do you want to go out tomorrow? Spend a couple of hours just you and me and the deep blue sea?"

"Sound awesome Sammy. How much does something like that cost?" Dean queried.

"Don't worry about it, man. I've got some money stashed away I've been saving for a special occasion." Sam replied thinking about the money he had put away to buy an engagement ring for Jess. As that money would never be put to it original intent Sam thought _"Might as well spend in on giving the other most important person in my life a great day."_

"Okay first, you've got money stashed and you haven't brought it up before now? Second what were you saving money for; your new lawyer's wardrobe?"

"We haven't needed to use the money yet, and you get such a kick out of earning our living hustling pool and cards I didn't want to take that joy away from you." Sam joked knowing that he didn't want to lie to his brother anymore and also knowing they were veering into deep emotional baggage with his upcoming answer to that question. "The money was going to buy Jess an engagement ring." He said quietly.

"Oh damn it Sammy, why the hell…I'm sorry man." Dean said mentally kicking himself for asking.

Not wanting to lose the easy relaxed nature of their outing so far Sam told Dean with the utmost seriousness. "Dean it's okay. I'd like to use this money for us to have a great vacation. Yes there's stuff we need to work out, or more importantly I need to work out, but not right now. Today is just about us having fun and decompressing. We'll get to the hard stuff later. Maybe tomorrow or the next day; we're in no hurry here. So just don't feel bad you didn't know. Like I told you last week I want to tell you about Jess, you would have liked her."

"Whatever you say Sammy boy, whatever you say." Dean answered. Appreciating Sam's desire to enjoy their vacation as well as share information about the beautiful girl Dean had only met once, but who had changed his and Sam's life forever. " Fishing sounds wicked. I mean we're at the beach might as well make the most of it. I don't know about you Sammy, but I'm ready to head back to the motel. Grab a shower and a nap before we head out for a night on the town."

"Yeah I think I've soaked up all the rays I can for a day." Sam said stretching his long frame before standing and gather up their stuff. "A shower sounds great, that diving roll I did earlier got sand in places where sand is not supposed to be." Sam groused trying to shake the left over sand out of his recently purchased swim trunks.

"See what happens when you start shit with me. When will you ever learn Sammy boy, it will always lead to getting your ass handed to you." Dean smirked watching Sammy shake one leg then another, like a dog with an itch it can't quite scratch.

"Fuck off, jackass. You were totally sucking my wind. I let you stay in the game, so you wouldn't feel so bad about getting out distanced by your kid brother. And it's Sam." Sam smirked right back giving as good as he got.

"Oh so that's how you want to believe it was. I see you really should get those pesky mental lapses checked out by a doctor bitch. They can't be healthy. I was kicking your ass." Dean fired right back gearing up for the upcoming verbal Olympics of barbs and insults. Preparing to defend his rightful title as King of Smart Asses.

"I'm sorry, but how could you possibly kick my ass with those short little legs of yours. I mean seriously you might have kicked the back of my kneecaps, but I pretty sure that's as high as you could get without a stool." Sam smirked determined to remind Dean that he'd taught Sam everything he knew about verbal sparring, and Sam was always and excellent student.

"Oh your funny, I guess you wouldn't mind waking back to the motel then on those freakishly long legs then bitch." Dean snarked right back loving to see his brother behaving so happy and relaxed.

"Whatever you say, shorty." Sam laughed at Dean's inability to accept the fact that Sam was taller.

"You know you can be tossed overboard tomorrow. You know that right? I mean Jaws would chomp your fugly ass right up." Dean fired right back.

"Of course he would unlike with you I would be more then a mouthful." Sam volleyed back as the boys reached the car and began loading their stuff in the back.

"See it's the difference between filet mignon and hanger steak. The hanger may be bigger, but the filet's the better quality." Dean shot back climbing into the driver's seat.

Sam's reply was cut short by the music blaring out of the stereo as Dean started up the Impala.

"I'm sorry Sammy." Dean hollered over the pounding drums of Metallica. "I can't hear you music's to loud."

Sam's smirk at his brother's antics for winning an insult war between the two brothers never failed to amuse. Rolling the window down and enjoying the breeze on his face Sam knew this is exactly what the brother's needed. _"We'll figure it out, we always do. It won't be like when we were kids, but hopefully it will be better."_ With that thought firmly in mind Sam began to sing along to "Disposable Heroes" and looked forward to the week ahead.

_To be continued._

_Yay! Chapter 2's done. I can't believe I got as much done today as I did. I'm utterly exhausted. I had the worst case of insomnia last night. It was 3:30 before I got to bed, and I had to wake up by 9:00. Please please please please please review. I need positive feedback. Not to mention grammatical help. I know I'm not the best writer as far as grammar is concerned, so please offer suggestions. Let me know what I did wrong. I want to improve. I've enjoyed fan fiction for years, and I want to help make sure quality fan fiction exists for everyone to enjoy. Please let me know what you think. I can and will hold future chapter's hostage for reviews. Sorry if this sounds cranky and desperate, but I'm tired and moody, so review and cheer me up please. Thanks for reading._

_B_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three 

"Oh hell yes!" was said in stereo by both guys as they stood in the entrance of the restaurant/bar Oceanic that had been recommended by Dean's beach bunnies.

The smell of fresh seafood was only part of the appeal. The 2 pool tables in back had Dean seeing dollars, and the multitude of gorgeous women in daisy duke shorts and tanks had both guys shifting uncomfortably in their jeans. A dance floor at the other end of the restaurant was packed with couples swaying to a live band that was currently playing an excellent rendition of "Life Lesson's" by Lynyrd Skynyrd that had Sam and Dean bobbing their heads in rhythm. A mammoth outdoor deck was covered in tables and chairs overlooking the ocean that looked like it had a few spots still available.

"I never thought I'd say this," said Sam, "but boy am I glad you're an unstoppable flirt. This place is awesome."

"See it's about time you saw the value in my killer charm, bitch." Replied Dean who looked like he hit the jackpot, lottery, and big six all in one.

"Seat yourself." Sam read off the sign posted at the hostess station. "Let's grab one of those tables outside before they get full."

"Lead the way McDuff." Dean said to busy trying to watch the band, the action at the pool tables, and all the hot girls at once.

Smirking at his big brother's glee Sam weaved his way around the bar towards the outdoor seating. Finding a table overlooking the water he grabbed a seat and reached for one of the menus perched in between the napkin holder and the rail. Watching Dean grab the other menu and scanning it quickly he said "What do you say we get a peck of steamed oysters, a pound of crab legs, a pound of the steamed shrimp, and a bucket of beer."

"Dude how much do you think we can eat. I mean I know you're a bottomless pit, but that's a lot of food." Dean said staring at his brother increduously.

"Not really man." Sam said laughingly. "You'd be amazed at how little meat there is in crab legs, and I can eat a peck of oysters by myself. Jess and I used to start like this at an oyster bar in Stanford and we'd always end up ordering at least one more pound of crab legs, and possibly another peck of oysters."

"Sound's like your girl new how to have a good time?" Dean said glad to hear more about the girl that made his brother so happy. "You up to telling me how you to met? I mean what kind of magical voodoo did you do to get a girl that hot to go out with your dorky looking ass."

"I'll have you know I am very charming when I want to be." Sam mocked "I was after all taught all I know about wooing women from you, so if I suck then I guess it would be your fault after all."

"Whoa there little doggie. Your lack of grace with the ladies is all your own. I tried to drag you away from those stupid books to go to a bar and you always fought tooth and nail." Dean joked right back.

"See that's because I knew those books would get me that full ride to Stanford and there I would meet Jessica. See total plan." Sam said. "Anyway I met Jessica my freshman year in the library. Oh shut up." Sam said looking pointedly at his brother who he knew was about to make an inappropriate comment. "She was working at the library for a work study, and I needed some help with some reference material for a paper, and the rest was history. "

"God only you could hook up with a girl that hot in a library." Dean replied shaking his head at his baby brother's luck.

"Hey don't knock it till you've tried it jackass. How'd a macho man like you meet and obviously intelligent girl like Cassie then, jerk?" Sam flung right back.

The waitress arriving to take their order momentarily interrupted Dean. Dean deferred to Sammy's suggestion and they sat back and waited for their beer and seafood to arrive.

"So seriously, I told you how I met the love of my life. Fess up Dean how did you meet Cassie?" Sam inquired looking at his brother with sympathy.

"Hey, who said Cassie was the love of my life?" Dean asked still trying to play off the importance of the beautiful girl that broke his heart.

Sam just stared at Dean willing him to see that for once there was no judgment or recrimination in Sam's eyes. Just understanding and a desire to get to know his brother again after the 4-year separation.

"Yeah, yeah who am I kidding?" Dean said with deprecation. "Well genius we didn't meet in a library." Then muttering so softly Sam had to strain to here him he said. "We met outside of one."

"What! Oh man you are so busted." Sam said laughing so hard he almost fell off his chair.

Dean couldn't help but laugh along with him. "There does seem to be a pattern doesn't there? Now if we only knew how dad met mom we could get some conclusive proof."

That thought made both guys start laughing even harder, and they were still gasping for air a few minutes later when the waitress came back with their bucket of beer and 3 pounds of seafood. Setting everything down and then making sure the boys didn't need anything else she quickly left to go take care of the rest of her tables as the restaurant was filling up even more.

"Okay college boy, you're the expert. What's the best way to eat everything?" Dean said looking at the food like a starving man who didn't know how to eat.

"Well I like to take and oyster put dunk it in the cocktail sauce put it on a cracker and then put a hot pepper on top. The important thing to remember about oysters is to not chew too much. Just chew enough to swallow the cracker. Here this one's all fixed, try it and tell me what you think?" Sam had demonstrated as he gave the instructions to Dean and then handed him the finished product.

Shoving the whole thing in his mouth Dean followed the instructions, chewing for just a few seconds then swallowing. "Oh man that's good" Dean said once he could speak after taking a swig of the ice-cold beer. "Good and spicy, and the oyster just glides down your throat."

"Jess taught me how to eat seafood. I swear she was part mermaid with her love of the ocean and seafood." Sam said as he finished off and oyster for himself. "The crab legs are much easier then the whole crab, unless it's a soft-shell crab, but we can get to that later. You basically take the metal cracker and gently crack the leg down the length. Try not to press too hard, or you'll end up with shell embedded in the meat. Then twist a little and pull apart." Sam once again demonstrated showing Dean the piece of lump crab he had easily extracted from the leg. Dipping it in the melted butter he once again passed it to Dean to try first.

With a moan of approval after trying the succulent crab Dean grabbed two and began to scramble to get them open as quick as possible.

The table was silent for the next little bit as both men ate and drank with gusto. After finishing off the last bite Dean leaned back in his chair and sighed in fulfillment as he watched Sammy finish off the last oyster. "Hey Sammy?" Dean queried softly.

Looking up and seeing the serious yet peaceful expression on his brother's face Sam replied "Yeah."

"Will you tell me now why your eye's bled?" Dean asked gently wanting to know the secret that caused his baby brother so much pain.

Staring into Dean's eyes Sam realized that Dean would never condemn Sam for his inaction in saving Jessica's life. "I dreamt it." He replied quietly. "Before she died, even before you showed up. For a week every night I woke up seeing Jess on the ceiling. I thought it was just stress from exams and the upcoming law school interview. I wanted to be normal so badly I didn't even bother to consider the possibility it was anything else. Whether I wanted to admit it to myself or not I knew what was going to happen, and I did nothing to stop it." Unable to still look at his brother the guilt once again ate at Sam's soul.

"Sammy look at me." Dean said after a few minutes of silence. "Pick up you head and look at me damn it!" he said a little more forcefully. When Sammy finally raised his head Dean's heart stopped at the pain and guilt in his eyes. "I know telling you that it's not your fault won't do a lot of good, but Sammy it's not your fault. You had no reason to think those nightmares were going to come true. We both know stress can cause irrational fears to come to life in our dreams, and after what happened to mom and our family it's only natural that it happening again would be your biggest fear. Whether you can believe this or not, I want you to know that I believe it. I'll believe it enough for both of us until you can believe it for yourself. I promise."

Staring at his brother Sam once again found his control slipping. _"What did I ever do to deserve him"_ he thought, and then said, "Thanks Dean, right now that means more then you will ever know."

"Good." Was Dean succinct reply. "Now let's go win some money playing pool, so we don't have to deplete all our resources going fishing tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Sam said pulling himself together. "Those 2 college guys at the table on the left look nice and arrogant to me."

"See college boy that shining of yours is working fine, because you just read my mind." Dean smirked as he got up from the table and signaled to the waitress that they would be back and to not let their table go.

Two hours later the guys were 500.00 dollars richer, and looking forward to their fishing expedition in the morning. Sam had made the reservations earlier that day when they had gotten back from the beach and while they were excited the early morning call of 6:00am meant that they were going to turn in early tonight.

After they got back to the motel they set the alarm for 5:00 and both boys crashed like they'd gone on a 48-hour rave with no rest. Tomorrow was going to be a good day.

Whoo Chapter Three done. To all those author's I never reviewed I am sooooo sorry. I tell you since I started writing I review everything I read now. Now I don't mean to be desperate and needy, but I don't have a single review on this story and it's starting to bother me. Please please please please review. Otherwise no chapter four. That's right people you're making me do it. No more updates till I find out whether or not it's worth updating. Come on I live for reviews and it only takes a second I promise.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four 

I don't think I put a disclaimer at the beginning of this story, so I'm going to do it now. I own nothing. I have no connection with Supernatural, The CW, or Jenson or Jared (Damn it). I am making no money off this story. And don't bother suing I have no money anyway.

_A big shout-out to Steamfan. Thanks for the review. Coming from an amazing writer such as you it made my day. Have a great one._

_Here we go._

"Ohhh." Dean groaned when the alarm went off at 5:00 am. _"Man I don't care how early you go to sleep 5 am gets here waaay to early." _He thought.

The answering groan from the other bead followed by the sound of flesh hitting plastic let Dean know that Sammy was up as well.

"Dibs on bathroom." Dean groaned out as he rolled out of bed and went to relieve his aching bladder. Forgoing a shower since they were going to be on the water all day he quickly did his business and exited to find Sammy sitting up waiting to go in after Dean finished.

Neither brother bothered to try speaking to each other first thing in the morning. Their line of work had naturally conditioned the boys to be nocturnal, so neither man was very spunky first thing in the morning. Once Sam finished up in the bathroom both boys went in search of coffee as quickly as possible.

After loading up with two large coffees, and an additional thermos full the boys headed towards the boat marina to go on their fishing expedition. The found the boat right at 6:00 which was a good thing considering the Captain didn't look the type to take kindly to people arriving late.

Standing at the helm of the boat, he looked like he'd lived hard and been put away wet. Skin that was so tanned it looked like leather with a grey stubble on his chin and piercing blue eyes; he reminded Dean so much of the sea captain from "Jaws" that he actually stopped for a second with a feeling of foreboding. Grabbing Sammy's arm and talking quietly out of the side of his mouth as they walked down the dock towards the boat Dean said "Hey Sammy, your shining hasn't gone off about any great white sharks waiting to eat us has it?"

"Dude are you sure this whole psychic thing isn't catching, because I was just thinking the same thing. To answer your question though, no, no premonitions of certain death should we get on the boat." Sammy answered back just as quietly.

"OOOkay" Dean whispered back as they got to the boat. Then of course because trying to repress the smartass part of his mouth would have made Dean's head explode he shouted out. "Ahoy captain." With a smirk firmly on his face.

The Captain rolled his eyes and said in a voice filled with gravel "I'm assuming you boys are the Winchester brothers. Come on aboard fish wait for no man. The names Jim feel free to call me Captain, Jim, or Captain Jim if it be your liking. You boys been out deep before?" The friendly tone and good humor in such complete contrast to the physical characteristics that Dean and Sam just stood there a moment before answering.

Sammy recovered first. "Uh first time for my brother Dean. I've been out deep, but never done any fishing, just went for the ride. My name's Sam"

Captain Jim grinned and said "Well you boys are in for a treat. Get on board and watch your step and let's take her out. Dean, since you've never been out before I recommend going ahead and taking a Dramamine just so you don't have to worry about it later. I've got some upside. Wouldn't want your first fishing trip ruined by some seasickness.

"Sure, whatever you say. You're the expert, I'm just here for the ride." Dean answered back still a little wary of the affable Captain.

"Don't worry sonny by the end of the day you'll have sea legs that will rival a fish.

Come on up topside and let's steer her out while I go over the rules of deep sea fishing and what's included in the package you and your brother purchased." Captain Jim boomed as he turned and led the two brothers up a short flight of stairs that rose above the main deck to a bird's nest where the steering and navigational equipment were located. There was an additional set of stairs leading below deck as well, that the guys were curious to explore as well. "You can go below deck and look around as soon as we get out of the harbor." Captain Jim said knowingly to them without even looking behind as he climbed the stairs up.

After making sure both men had their feet underneath them Captain Jim started the engines and began to lead the boat out of the harbor. As he was doing this he gave the brothers a rundown on the boat and how the day was planned. "Aright boys, this here boat is the "Hattares Harlot." She's a 35-foot beauty built to maintain up to a crew of 6. Cabins are below deck with a kitchen living area and only one bathroom. As per your instructions this is an all-inclusive trip. We've supplied the rods and reels as well as great lunch, with liquid refreshments as well. I tell you boys there's nothing like sitting in the sun with a rod in your hand and an ice-cold beer in the other. Now we are going to be doing some deep sea fishing, so once we get out a bit I'll get you boys hooked up to your harness and show you how to work your rods. We'll be trawling which means I'll be up here driving while you boys will be fishing off the stern. My first mates down stairs getting everything set up. Her name's Lisa, or you can just call her Mrs. Captain Jim since she's also my misses. For right now hold on to your seats, cause we're about to head out of the sound and into the ocean and it's going to get choppy for a little while till we break the surf."

The boys grabbed seats and prepared for the upcoming day of new experiences. Captain Jim was good to his word, and it wasn't an hour later that both Dean and Sam were sitting at the stern harnessed in with rods and a beer. Dean couldn't help but think again _"Boy Captain Jim was right this is the life."_ Looking over at Sam, Dean couldn't help but let out a laugh. _"If Sammy was a cat he'd be purring."_ In fact at that moment Sam did remind Dean of a cat. A great big jungle cat soaking up the sun utterly content.

"What's so funny jerk?" Sam asked without even opening his eyes. Perfectly content to not catch a single fish all day if it meant he didn't have to move.

"Nothing, just feeling happier then I've felt in a while I guess. Old Captain Jim was right about this being the life. Man what a way to make a living." Dean answered back contentment lacing his voice.

"You are not wrong brother, you are not wrong." Sam answered back as he stifled a yawn.

"Hey Sammy boy you mind answering something that's been bugging me since Chicago?" Dean queried. Not wanting to break the peacefulness that they were enjoying, but at the same time needing to know the answer.

"I can't promise, but ask and I'll tell you." Sam said sensing his brothers need to ask whatever was coming. _"Boy they weren't kidding with the whole practice makes perfect thing were they. This psychic thing is getting easier. And boy do I need to let Dean in on the fact that I can read him soon."_

"What changed your mind? I mean one second you're ready to leave and go back to school, and then the next your telling how you've embraced your visions and your not going anywhere. I mean I'm not trying to look a gift horse in the mouth, you know I want you to stay, I was just wondering what changed your mind?"

Looking at Dean, Sam knew he needed to not only answer this question, but also answer it as honestly as possible. "Your right, you need to know the answer. You remember how I told you I was getting better control on the visions?" At Dean's affirmative nod Sam slowly continued knowing that Dean would be upset that Sam hadn't shared this information sooner. "Well when I told you I had that epiphany in the shower I wasn't totally honest with you. You see when we were in Chicago and saw Dad when I had my hand on his shoulder before he left something happened."

"What." Dean asked when Sam stopped and stared into space for a minute.

Taking a deep breath Sam replied, "I read Dad."

Looking confused Dean queried, "What do you mean, "read"?"

"I mean I had a psychic moment where I read Dad's mind." Sam answered waiting for the upcoming explosion.

"You WHAT!" Dean shouted. "Why am I just hearing about this now? What did you read? Did it happen again? Have you read me?" Dean's questions shot at Sam with the speed of a machine gun.

Holding his hands up as he turned to look Dean in the eyes Sammy said, "I'm sorry it's taken me so long to tell you, but it was a lot to process, and I wasn't sure what was happening at first. It didn't hurt which is why at first I thought it was just wishful thinking. It was only when the vision hit in the shower that I made the connection to desire. When we were saying goodbye to Dad I wanted to know so badly what he was thinking that I must have somehow accessed the gift without even realizing it. I wasn't even sure it was real. Secondly, yes I have read you? Before you get mad it was unintentional again. I'm still not in total control, but it does seem to get easier with practice. I want you to know I would never invade your mind intentionally without telling you first. I didn't get much, just the occasional flash of feelings. I was going to tell you on this trip I promise, I was just waiting for the right time. That being said to answer your initial question that's what changed my mind. I told you I dreamt of Jessica's death the week before it happened and did nothing to stop it. Bottom line now that I know the visions are real there is no way I could live with myself if I didn't do everything in my power to make sure they don't come true. My desire to have a normal life cost me someone sweet and innocent and wonderful and true. No matter how much this might not have been my first choice it is my destiny. "

"Now that being said as well that doesn't mean my way of hunting might not be different then yours and dad's." Sam continued taking a breath to push back once again the guilt that came every time he thought about Jess. "I would still like to settle down somewhere. I'm not talking about permanently, but maybe a home base of operation. I would like to earn some income that doesn't potentially involve getting arrested if at all possible as well. Not to mention I would like to go back to school simply because I like to learn. I'm good at it, and it doesn't have to conflict with hunting. Research is a huge part of what we do, and I like the fact that the information I gain makes the hunting easier for you and hopefully in the future dad." Finally running out of breath Sam stopped and looked at his brother waiting for his reaction.

Dean sat there staring off into the ocean for a good five minutes thinking about what Sam had told him. _"Talk about ask and ye shall receive." _Thought Dean. "Well, thanks for telling me." Dean said. "I guess I can understand you wanting to settle down someplace, and let's face it you are the geek boy in the family. It actually does sound kind of nice to have someplace to call home even if you aren't there every day." Then taking a deep breath Dean prepared to address the whole psychic reading. "As far as the reading goes, I'm not going to ask what you got off dad, or me but I am going to ask that in the future if you read me, even accidentally that you let me know right then." Dean said firmly as he stared right at Sammy "I don't blame you for wanting to wait, I sure as hell wouldn't know how to have brought it up either, but I'm glad I know now. "

"I promise Dean." Sam stated emphatically. "The second it happens I will let you know."

"I know you will Sammy." Dean said still somber. "I also think it's important that we practice as much as possible especially now that we're not in any life or death situations. So starting tonight we're going to go back to the Oceanic and you're going to read all the hot girls and help your big brother get laid." A smirk finally crossing Dean's face as he waited for Sammy to register what he'd said.

When it finally sank in Sam stared at his brother for a second seeing that familiar smirk and said, "I guess that's the least I owe you jackass." And started laughing hysterically.

Joining his brother Dean knew they wouldn't actually use Sammy's gifts to pick up chicks, but boy were the possibilities there. And through his laughter said, "As long as we're clear bitch."

Their laughter ringing out over the clear blue ocean as the two brothers faced up to yet another family demon with their usual method of seriousness, and sarcasm. Knowing that the days ahead would be full of even more revelations and surprises that they would have to face together if they were going to conquer them.

To be continued.

Wow! I wrote 4 ½ pages. Unbelievable. Don't worry more's coming we've got to focus Sam's gifts so he can kick some serious demon ass. Wait for it. I'm going to the beach as soon as I get off work tonight, so don't expect and update until Tuesday sometime. Please review. I really do live for them. Otherwise you might have a longer wait for chapter five.

_Have a great weekend._

_b_


	5. Chapter 5

_I had this ready to post Tuesday, but the Net wasn't allowing me to upload, so sorry for the wait._

_Well the beach was amazing. I laid out all day Sunday and Monday and am now bright pink. As per usual I forgot to cover my whole foot with sunscreen, so I'm going barefoot today at work. I really appreciate all the reviews, and please let me know if there is something you don't like as well. Any and all criticisms are welcome. I want to improve, so if you have any ideas please let me know. Thanks._

**Chapter Five**

By the time the guys were back in dock they were tanned and exhausted. They had caught some nice size fish for he day, and Dean had even hooked a Marlin. He was unfortunately unable to bring it in, and was grateful to the harness as he thought he was going to get pulled out of the boat by the amazing fish. The boys had spent the rest of the day after the revelations of the morning talking and laughing about whatever was on their minds. They even got into a joke telling contest, both boys having learned new ones during their four-year separation. Captain Jim even threw in a few of his own that had the boys rolling on the floor of the boat.

Sam had told Dean more about Jess and the life they had lived together. While Dean had shared more about what drew him to Cassie in the first place. As well as their Dad's reaction to the fact that Dean had told Cassie the truth about their life, which had Sammy laughing so hard he couldn't breath. Between the sun, the fish and the laughter both guys were exhausted and yet 100 completely relaxed.

Arriving back at the motel Dean said, "Man dibs on the shower, I think that Marlin damn near dislocated both my shoulders. Why don't you do something useful and have a vision about where we're supposed to eat dinner tonight."

Lying on the bed Sam could barley lift his head to say, "Kiss my ass jerk."

"Sure sure." Dean replied as he shut the bathroom door, and got into the shower. "Oh thank you God!" he said out loud as the hot water pounded away at his very sore muscles.

Feeling a little bad about using up all the hot water Dean still couldn't bring himself to take a quick shower. _"Sammy looked exhausted anyway. I'll let him take a nap and then he can take a shower later."_ Dean justified to himself.

Dean was in fact gearing up for a nice long shower when he heard the bathroom door open and the familiar step of his brother enter the room. "Look Sammy I know you –" Dean was cut off though by the sound of the toilet getting flushed and the sudden onslaught of cold water pouring out of the showerhead. "What the Fuck!" Dean shouted. As he jumped out of the shower in time to see his baby brother head back into the main room Dean couldn't help but be a little confused. It wasn't like it was the first time that either brother had pulled that particular prank, but Dean was generally the instigator, and he was pretty sure he'd been a great brother all day. Grabbing a towel and heading out he saw Sammy laying on the bed his hands over his eyes. "Dude what's your problem?" He asked not just a little pissed at the undeserved prank.

"You just had to open your mouth didn't you?" Sam mumbled from the bed his hands still covering his face. "You just couldn't resist."

"Okay dude you are seriously started to be really weird. The only thing I said to your punk ass was to find a restaurant for dinner tonight." Dean answered back perplexed at his brother's behavior.

"Yeah jackass and do you remember HOW you told me to do it?" Sam's words still muffled by his hands.

"All I said was for you to…. Ahh!" Dean exclaimed, "You had a vision didn't you?"

"Ding, ding, ding ladies and gentleman we have a winner. Tell the contestant what he's won." Sam said sarcastically as he finally sat up on the bed. "A trip out of paradise to the cold of Nova Scotia for a fun filled time battling what appears to be a pirate poltergeist. Yippee"

Sitting down beside Sammy Dean couldn't help but feel the same sense of regret that their vacation was apparently over. And driving to the frozen island of Nova Scotia after the beach couldn't have sounded less appealing. Letting out a sigh of disappointment Dean said "Well I can't say I blame you for not wanting to go this time. I can't think of a hunt that sounds more like a side trip to hell then what you just saw, but we knew we couldn't stay here forever."

"I know." Sam replied his own tone resigned to the hunt ahead. "Sorry for the toilet man, when the vision hit it was like being hit with a bucket of ice water, soooo I decided to share the experience with you."

"Well I know we've shared a lot on this trip, but in the future feel free to refrain from sharing that if you don't mind bitch." Dean said playfully swatting the back of Sammy's head. "Look it's not like we can start tonight anyway, and it's going to be at least a 3 day trip. What do you say we go out and enjoy our last night of vacation before heading out early in the morning?"

"Yeah, your right might as well appreciate the time we have left rather then bitch about having to leave." Sammy said smiling, appreciating Dean's good humor about the whole situation.

"Hey, when you said it was like getting hit with a bucket of ice water what did you mean, because you seem to be fine now. Does that mean there wasn't any pain from this vision?" Dean said suddenly as he realized Sam didn't seem to be suffering from the typical migraine like pain that came with the visions in the past.

"Huh" said Sammy. "No man it didn't really hurt at all. Which his a little surprising, because I really wasn't happy about having a vision. So you would think that it would have hurt."

"Maybe not." Said Dean as he began to get dressed his shower long forgotten. "I mean sure you weren't happy, about having a vision now, but you didn't try to deny having it either. I think now that you've accepted them as a part of who you are it knows the difference between being pissed at the timing, and not wanting to have them at all."

"I guess that makes sense." Sammy replied as he too began to change clothes for dinner. "I mean whenever I read you I didn't do it deliberately, it just happened and it didn't hurt, just took me by surprise. I didn't want to know what you were thinking, at least not consciously, but on some level I must have, and that hidden desire manifested itself through a reading. The repressed emotions concerning my desire to know you better would have…" Dean interrupted Sam before he could finish verbalizing that thought out loud.

"Whoa bitch. Could you sound like a bigger geek? I swear dude we have to get you laid soon before you turn into a chick. Hidden desire. The manifestation of repressed emotions. I don't need to know that much out your freaked out thought process. Grab you jacket and let's go pick up some honey bunnies for the evening." Dean snarked looking at Sammy like he couldn't quiet figure out where he came from, and could they really possibly be related.

Rolling his eyes at his brothers inability to have a discussion about emotions that took longer then 5 minutes of Dean telling Sam what he thought Sam should be feeling, and then let's move along. Sammy had to admit. _He does have a point about having some fun on our last night of vacation."_ Not that Sam would ever admit that out loud, but he did grab his jacket and follow Dean out to the car.

"Unfortunately the vision didn't include what our dinner plans for the evening should be as well, so I say we head back to the Oceanic." Sam said as he slipped into the passenger side seat of the Impala.

"Works for me." Dean replied starting the car and pulling out into traffic headed toward the fun hotspot they had found the previous evening. "There were some seriously hot chicks there last night that we hardly got to meet, a mistake I say we rectify tonight."

"Well as much fun as watching you being led around by little Dean all night. I'm starving, so picking up chicks is going to have to wait till I've been fed." Sam told his brother as he tried to stretch the kinks out of his back from fishing all day.

"See I am constantly amazed at how much you underestimate me bro. I can assure you I can pick up girls and eat all at the same time." Dean smirked as he winked at Sammy "Just watch the master and learn."

"Can we discuss the delusions you live with for just a moment? Cause let me tell you I don't care how suave you think you are scrounging for meat out of crab legs is in no way debonair. You just can't look cool doing it, sorry." Sam said laughingly picturing Dean the previous night sucking on the end of one of the crab legs trying to make sure he had gotten all the meat.

"See once again you underestimate me. My charm is so powerful the ladies are under my spell in a matter of minutes." Dean joked to his brother.

"Ahh! At last and explanation that makes sense. I never knew you had it in you to use black magic Dean, but I've always wondered what your secret was. Of course now that I know I will have to vanquish your black magic ass, I hope you know this is going to hurt me more then it hurts you." Sammy said in a mock Dad voice. "Dad's going to be so disappointed."

"See that right there. Not funny. I know your twisted freaked out brain thought that was cute, but I can assure it wasn't." Dean said pointing his finger at his brother as if to scold him for having such an awful sense of humor.

"Say what you will, but I'm laughing."

"And yet I'm not. What does that tell you?"

"That you have no sense of humor?"

"Um nooo. It tells you that you're a freak. Didn't you go to college?"

"See that type of thinking right there, trying to put your freakiness on someone else, classic displacement. Don't worry we'll get you the help you need."

"I'll get help. I'll get help by tossing your raggedy ass out of the car while it's still moving. That will help me plenty, smarty-pants."

"Showing signs of irrational anger and violence. Uh-oh you've obviously progressed further then the initial assessment. We better get a specialist. Don't worry Dean I'll call Dad. I'm sure he knows some good institutions."

"How about we "institute" a policy where little brothers shut the fuck up. How's that sound?"

"Sure, sure whatever you say. I'm just a figment of your imagination. You just continue driving and try not to drive us into the ocean."

"Okay see in 3 minutes we're going to be at the restaurant, and I have no problem with kicking your punk ass in the parking lot. The girls will probably be impressed with my mad skills, so I'd watch it if I were you."

Sam tried to continue the verbal sparring that they had going, but was laughing so hard at the look of inspiration on his brother's face at the thought of impressing the ladies by beating Sam up. It never crossed his mind that Dean would follow through with the threat, but that Dean could turn any conversation back to picking up chicks was utter hilarity to Sam.

By the time the brothers got to the restaurant, they had switched from insults to pick-up lines and techniques that had both guys holding their ribs from laughing so hard. In fact Dean had laughed so hard at Sam's "This face seats four." Line he'd damn near driven the car into the ocean, managing to right them at the last second. Dean of course couldn't let that line go without begging Sam to use it tonight. The idea of his sweet-faced ultimate knight in shining armor brother using such a crass and degrading pick-up line had Dean gasping for breath.

Sammy meanwhile was still howling over Dean's rendition of "Angel" pickup lines and couldn't even be bothered to respond to the begging.

Both brother's knew tonight would be their last night off for a while and tomorrow would begin to lead them once again willingly into danger. So both were determined to enjoy the evening as much as possible. The lives they led were their choice and one they both finally made without reservation. Neither was prepared to leave the other behind ever again and all future hunts would be face together. The boys were back and evil was in for a serious ass kicking.

"_Party tonight for tomorrow we die." _Ran through Sam's mind as they entered the bar ready for some action. _"Ah well. It might not be any one else's normal, but it's ours so I guess that's all that matters."_

With that final thought Sam followed Dean into the bar and into their future.

**The End.**

_I know I know I kind of left you hanging about the poltergeist, but that's for another story. This piece was always going to be about healing and the sharing of secrets the brothers had kept from each other. I'm contemplating continuing on with this series, but probably not right away as I have this Supernatural/Buffy crossover that's haunting my every waking moment. Now if only I can get it down on paper. I want to thank everyone who's reviewed this story. I really appreciated all the positive feedback. Thanks for reading, and please let me know if you think I should continue this series._

**_B_**


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